September 23, 2009 - Federal ban on flavored cigarettes took effect on Tuesday, September 22nd marking one of the first visible signs of the Food and Drug Administration's new authority to regulate tobacco. The ban on manufacturing, importing, marketing and distribution includes candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes, which health and federal authorities say are more appealing to youth. It does not include a ban on menthol or other flavored tobacco products like cigars -- issues that the FDA is studying.Dr. Lawrence R. Deyton, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products: "Candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular tobacco users." Citing research studies, Deyton said that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers over the age of 25. FDA officials also said that almost 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers and the ban will help stop more than 3,600 young people who start smoking daily.